(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) Twitter employees are panicking because they believe that Elon Musk, a “prominent transphobe,” will use his newly-acquired shareholder power to change the “company culture” and ensure that the platform protects all speech.
One employee who works in the platform’s censorship division announced his resignation, prompting free-speech advocates to celebrate Musk’s purchase as an immediate success, the Post Millennial reported.
Elon Musk is already making twitter a better place pic.twitter.com/9rTgRXoYTe
— Zero HP Lovecraft 🦅🐍 (@0x49fa98) April 4, 2022
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, bought 73.5 million Twitter shares on March 14, giving him a 9.2 percent stake in the company and making him the largest shareholder.
Twitter’s stock jumped 25.9 percent after a Securities and Exchange Commission filing announced the purchase on April 4, Yahoo! Finance reported.
In an April 5 report, Twitter announced that Musk will sit on the company’s board of directors until 2024. Musk agreed not to purchase more than 14.9 percent of Twitter’s stock during his tenure, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Journalist Andy Ngo chronicled the grievances of Twitter employees, all of whom shared their preferred pronouns in their bios.
A Feminist Demisexual Genderqueer Trans Woman said she feared Musk’s leadership.
Cassie Nick Rumbaugh, a data scientist at Twitter, is among the employees and contractors very upset that @elonmusk is now the largest stakeholder in Twitter.
“A prominent transphobe buying a large stake in Twitter is not at all funny,” she says. pic.twitter.com/gFSy52YsTZ
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 4, 2022
Musk hinted on March 25 and 26 that he might buy Twitter or start a new social media platform in order to protect free speech.
Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.
What should be done? https://t.co/aPS9ycji37
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022
Is a new platform needed?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022
More than 70 percent of Twitters uses agreed that the platform does not “rigorously adhere” to free-speech policies.
Another Twitter employee said Musk threatens the company’s beliefs, policies and public image.
Gerard Taylor, a senior software engineer at Twitter, is concerned about the leftist company culture following @elonmusk becoming the largest shareholder. pic.twitter.com/4sXIBESHKU
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 4, 2022
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon said he believes that Twitter’s decision to suspend the satire publisher’s account may have been “the last straw” for Musk, reported the Washington Times.
Twitter suspended the Bee for posting a tweet that celebrated Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, a transgender person, as “Man of the Year.”
The satirical tweet spoofed USA Today’s decision to name Levine a “Woman of the Year.”
But Twitter did not suspend the Bee until March 20, six days after Musk purchased the stocks.
Yet, Musk was concerned about the Bee’s suspension.
“We have had some communication with Musk,” Dillon said. “He wanted to confirm that we had, in fact, been suspended from Twitter.
“He reached out to us before he publicly asked his followers if they think Twitter ‘rigorously adheres’ to the principle of free expression,” Dillon said. “He even mused on that call with us that he might need to buy Twitter.”
Two other employees, including a woman in tears, celebrated Twitter’s stock market gains but mourned Musk’s acquisition.
“And I still dislike him [Elon Musk].”
Haraldur Thorleifsson, who directs creative services for Twitter, states his dislike for @elonmusk after the billionaire became the company’s largest stakeholder. pic.twitter.com/lvSSdlTtmY
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 4, 2022
Ashna Guliani, a Twitter software engineer, posted a video of a crying woman to show how upset she is over @elonmusk becoming the largest stakeholder in the company. pic.twitter.com/s7jfdsGBra
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 4, 2022
Some people said they hope that Musk will use his authority to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account.
Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to lift the political censorship.
Oh… and BRING BACK TRUMP!
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) April 4, 2022
A humorous tweet portrayed Trump’s triumphal return to Twitter.
Elon Musk reinstates Trump’s Twitter account pic.twitter.com/gizW4mOYYf
— Damon imani🔅 (@damonimani) April 4, 2022
